Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s Dieselgate keeps unraveling, and executives from other automotive companies have started to speak up about the matter.
Recently, a Volvo representative has explained that Volkswagen’s practices were an “open secret” for industry insiders.
Ken Falck, a 29-year Volvo veteran, has revealed that his colleagues and himself were suspicious of Volkswagen’s low emissions figures, in particular in the US market.
To this day, Volvo has yet to introduce a diesel model in the USA, but Volkswagen has a full range of cars in America, including diesels, so Volvo engineers could not explain why they could not achieve American emission targets and VW could.
Kent Falck spoke with the Australians at News.com.au, and revealed that Volkswagen’s emissions had been suspicious to them for about seven years. Falck is responsible for the development of future vehicles, so he knows what he is talking about.
The official revealed that his colleagues have held multiple meetings with the company’s leaders and have determined they cannot come close to Volkswagen’s diesel emission figures even if they share suppliers.
“We have Bosch, we have Denso, we are operating with the same allies, so we know this technology does not exist. I have comprehended that for seven years,” Falck explained to journalists.
At that point, employees of the Swedish brand suspected something is not right with Volkswagen, but they could not prove anything, even if they shared suppliers, as intellectual property rights allowed Volkswagen to conceal how its systems operated.
To an extent, Volvo executives believed that the German corporation had exclusivity on a unique technology which was developed by one of its suppliers, but the moment when Volkswagen admitted to cheating, the situation was clarified for the Swedish company.
Kent Falck believes that internal combustion engines will still have a future even after 2025, as humans will need a solution for traveling in areas with more that 500 kilometers (800 miles) between gas stations. However, Falck expects conventional diesel and gasoline engines to lose popularity by that time, and to be available for rent, as most users will probably have electric cars to drive in the city, or plug-in hybrids for those that require a larger range.
Ken Falck, a 29-year Volvo veteran, has revealed that his colleagues and himself were suspicious of Volkswagen’s low emissions figures, in particular in the US market.
To this day, Volvo has yet to introduce a diesel model in the USA, but Volkswagen has a full range of cars in America, including diesels, so Volvo engineers could not explain why they could not achieve American emission targets and VW could.
Kent Falck spoke with the Australians at News.com.au, and revealed that Volkswagen’s emissions had been suspicious to them for about seven years. Falck is responsible for the development of future vehicles, so he knows what he is talking about.
The official revealed that his colleagues have held multiple meetings with the company’s leaders and have determined they cannot come close to Volkswagen’s diesel emission figures even if they share suppliers.
“We have Bosch, we have Denso, we are operating with the same allies, so we know this technology does not exist. I have comprehended that for seven years,” Falck explained to journalists.
At that point, employees of the Swedish brand suspected something is not right with Volkswagen, but they could not prove anything, even if they shared suppliers, as intellectual property rights allowed Volkswagen to conceal how its systems operated.
To an extent, Volvo executives believed that the German corporation had exclusivity on a unique technology which was developed by one of its suppliers, but the moment when Volkswagen admitted to cheating, the situation was clarified for the Swedish company.
Kent Falck believes that internal combustion engines will still have a future even after 2025, as humans will need a solution for traveling in areas with more that 500 kilometers (800 miles) between gas stations. However, Falck expects conventional diesel and gasoline engines to lose popularity by that time, and to be available for rent, as most users will probably have electric cars to drive in the city, or plug-in hybrids for those that require a larger range.
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